Guignol
Guignol is the comical hero of French puppetry . He corresponds to the German Kasper . Its name was transferred to the location of the corresponding plays (Le Guignol), which, misleadingly, are sometimes also referred to as puppet theater .
The hand puppet Guignol was created between 1810 and 1812 by the unemployed worker Laurent Mourguet in Lyon and is said to have his own facial features. Guignol's loyal friend is Gnafron (named after Laurent's friend), his opponent the Gendarme Flageolet .
He made Lyon the French capital of puppet theater.
The "phenomenon" Guignol quickly found acceptance in Paris . From 1836 he celebrated his first major successes in the oldest still existing Paris Guignol Theater in the gardens of the Champs-Elysées . Other puppet theaters were created in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont ( Guignol Anatole since 1892) and Parc Montsouris , in the Jardin du Luxembourg , on the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower as well as in the "Jardin d'Acclimatation" ( Bois de Boulogne ) and in "Parc Floral" ( Bois de Vincennes ). With up to 150,000 visitors annually (Guignol du Jardin d'Acclimatation), they are among the most popular excursion destinations for Parisian children and their families.
Guignol and Les Guignols de l'info
Especially abroad, the traditional Guignol is confused with the satirical television program Les Guignols de l'info on the French pay channel Canal +. This is a French play on words that translates into German as "political puppet theater" (political satire ).
See also
Web links
- Société des Amis de Guignol (French)
- Guignol (French)
- La Maison de Guignol - puppet theater in Lyon (French)
- guignol-paris.com (French)
- Spectacle de Guignol (French)
- Guignolsland , (French)
- Guignolsland , (English)
- various representations and uses of the image of Kaspers in the city of Lyon (France) (French)